Chapter 4
987 Words
Sophia Clark thought she had finally forgotten about the embarrassing incident in the cafeteria.
She was wrong.
The moment she entered the Faculty of Business the next morning, she noticed the whispers.
At first, she ignored them.
Students always had something to talk about.
A new lecturer.
An upcoming assignment.
A party happening over the weekend.
But this time, she quickly realized the topic was different.
And unfortunately...
It was about her.
"Sophia."
She turned when she heard Lily calling her name.
Her friend hurried toward her with an amused expression.
"What?"
Lily tried to hold back her laughter.
"Don't get angry."
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
"Why would I get angry?"
"Because..."
Lily paused.
"Everyone knows about yesterday."
Sophia stopped walking.
"What?"
"The cafeteria incident."
Sophia covered her face with one hand.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I wish I was."
"How did people even hear about it?"
Lily shrugged.
"This university has too many people with too much free time."
Sophia sighed.
"I can't believe this."
"It isn't that bad."
"It is."
Lily smiled.
"Actually, I think it's impressive."
Sophia looked at her.
"Impressive?"
"Yes. You're probably the first person in this university to argue with Ethan Lockwood."
Sophia rolled her eyes.
"That's not something to be proud of."
"Maybe not to you."
They continued walking toward their classroom.
As they entered, several students looked in Sophia's direction before quickly looking away.
Sophia noticed.
"See?"
Lily laughed softly.
"They're curious."
"They're annoying."
"You know you made history yesterday, right?"
"I spilled a drink."
"You spilled a drink on Ethan Lockwood."
Sophia dropped her bag onto the table.
"And he survived."
Lily laughed.
"You really don't care."
"No."
And she meant it.
Sophia had never understood why people treated Ethan like someone untouchable.
He was just a person.
A person with money.
A person with a famous surname.
A person who needed to learn basic manners.
That was all.
A few minutes later, Professor Williams entered the classroom.
The conversations immediately stopped.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Professor."
The lecture began.
Sophia focused on her notes, determined to forget about everything else.
But halfway through the class, she felt someone watching her.
She slowly looked up.
Her eyes met Ethan Lockwood's.
He was sitting several seats away.
His expression was the same as always.
Calm.
Unreadable.
Sophia quickly looked away.
Why was he staring?
She tried to ignore it, but she could feel his presence throughout the entire lecture.
When the class finally ended, students began leaving.
Sophia packed her books quickly.
"Let's go," she told Lily.
Before they could leave, Professor Williams called out,
"Miss Clark."
Sophia turned around.
"Yes, Professor?"
"I need you and Ethan Lockwood to work together on the upcoming business presentation."
Her smile disappeared.
"Excuse me?"
The entire room suddenly became interested.
Students looked between Sophia and Ethan.
Even Lily looked surprised.
Professor Williams continued,
"You both have the highest grades in this class. It makes sense for you to work together."
Sophia looked toward Ethan.
For the first time, she wished she had failed an exam.
Ethan stood silently.
"Is that necessary, Professor?"
Sophia was surprised he spoke.
Professor Williams raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Mr. Lockwood. It is."
"I work better alone."
"So does Miss Clark. But learning to work with others is important."
Sophia wanted to disagree.
But she knew the professor was right.
She sighed.
"Fine."
Ethan looked at her.
"You seem unhappy."
Sophia raised an eyebrow.
"Should I be happy?"
"No."
"Good. At least we agree on something."
Lily covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
Professor Williams shook his head with a faint smile.
"You two will meet tomorrow after class to discuss the project."
Sophia picked up her books.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
She nodded reluctantly.
"Okay."
As everyone left the classroom, Sophia walked beside Lily.
"I can't believe this."
Lily smiled.
"Maybe it's not that bad."
"It is."
"You haven't even worked with him yet."
"I already know how it will go."
"How?"
Sophia looked ahead.
"He'll act like he knows everything."
Lily laughed.
"And you'll argue with him."
"Exactly."
---
Meanwhile, Ethan stood near the classroom door, watching them leave.
Ryan walked up beside him.
"You look interested."
"I'm not."
"You've been watching her since yesterday."
"I haven't."
Ryan smiled.
"You know, for someone who doesn't care, you talk about her a lot."
Ethan looked at him coldly.
"She's just difficult."
"Maybe."
Ryan looked in Sophia's direction.
"But maybe she's the first person who doesn't treat you differently because of your family."
Ethan didn't answer.
Because deep down...
He knew Ryan was right.
Sophia Clark was different.
And he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
---
The next afternoon, Sophia arrived at the university library earlier than planned.
She sat at a table with her laptop open and several books beside her.
She wanted to finish the project discussion quickly.
The last thing she wanted was to spend hours with Ethan Lockwood.
She checked the time.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
Sophia frowned.
"Of course."
She leaned back in her chair.
"He's late."
Just as she was about to close her laptop, a shadow fell across the table.
Sophia looked up.
Ethan stood there.
His expression was calm.
"You started without me."
Sophia slowly closed her laptop.
"You're twenty minutes late."
"I was busy."
"Everyone is busy."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And yet you waited."
Sophia stared at him.
"I waited because I want to finish this."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Two completely different people.
Two people who couldn't stand each other.
Now forced to work together.
Ethan pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
"Let's get this over with."
Sophia opened her notebook.
"Trust me. That's the first thing we've agreed on."
Neither of them knew it yet...
But this simple project would become the beginning of something neither of them expected.
To be continued…
- Writer
